Knowledge can be helpful in three ways: It can alleviate fear, it can enable your parent to reduce the risk of progression of a disease, and it can help him overcome the impact of the disease on his daily life. If the knowledge being transmitted doesn't do any of these things, it may not be helpful or well received.

If your parent has age-related macular degeneration, you might begin a conversation by reassuring him that he'll never be totally blind, as all of his vision that's just off center will always remain. Share with your parent the fact that the rate of progression of the disease can be minimized by taking vitamins, wearing sunglasses when exposed to sunlight, and eating dark green leafy vegetables and fish. Finally, help him explore the availability of vision rehabilitation services that will help him continue his activities in spite of his vision loss.

To back up your conversation, I recommend the American Academy of Ophthalmology's
SmartSight Patient Handout
(click on handout near the middle of the page, under "Materials for Patients"). Titled "Making the Most of Remaining Vision," it discusses all of these issues and provides a resource list.

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